Ah! A new Coen Brothers movie trailer! It’s like Christmas for us film geeks. And unlike Burn Before Reading, this dark comedy (their seventh film this decade) actually looks awesome. Note: The big name celebrities you’ve come to expect are missing in A Serious Man. We think that’s a good thing. We’re sure the film’s star Michael Stuhlbarg (who might recognize from an episode of Ugly Betty, Law & Order, or Damages, and kind of reminds us of Robin Williams) would agree.
The story, which is set back in 1967, centers on Larry Gopnik (Stuhlbarg), a Midwestern physics professor who discovers his wife is leaving him for one of his colleagues at the university. His brother is crashing on his couch. His kids are causing problems. An anonymous letter writer is trying to ruin his chances for tenure. His hot neighbor taunts him by sunbathing in the nude. His life is in shambles and he needs clarity. And thus, he turns to three different rabbis for help.
Not that the stylishly-cut trailer really explains any of this. It’s more just setting the mood — but by combining that with the plot synopsis above, we think this is going to be more of a Lebowski than an O Brother.
Warning: This might give you a sympathy headache. You’ll quickly see why.
The film opens in theaters October 2nd.